New Raiders cornerback Amerson ready for Peyton Manning

Published 4:38 pm, Friday, October 9, 2015

Oakland Raiders cornerback David Amerson (29) breaks up a pass intended for Chicago Bears wide receiver Marc Mariani (80) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) less

Oakland Raiders cornerback David Amerson (29) breaks up a pass intended for Chicago Bears wide receiver Marc Mariani (80) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, in Chicago. (AP ... more

Photo: Charles Rex Arbogast, Associated Press

New Raiders cornerback Amerson ready for Peyton Manning

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Having gone through a crash course in the Raiders’ defensive schemes, cornerback David Amerson will play his third game for them Sunday. And it’s against Peyton Manning.

Washington’s top draft pick in 2012, he was waived in September and picked up by the Raiders. He had hardly gotten off the plane when he took half the defensive snaps against Cleveland. Then he started against the Bears and played almost the whole game, making seven tackles and forcing a fumble.

Amerson, 23, says he’s already comfortable with the Raiders’ defensive system. “I’m catching on pretty good, learning how everybody moves, how they communicate,” he said Friday.

Like the rest of the secondary, he’ll face a stern test Sunday when the Raiders (2-2) host the Broncos (4-0) in Oakland’s first AFC West game.

Amerson, who faced Manning as a rookie in Washington, said the most important thing for him will be “sticky coverage. You know he’s going to pick up what coverage you’re in and find your soft spots. Those things are going to happen when you play Peyton Manning, so you just want to be tight on the receiver when the ball gets there.”

The Oakland secondary has been banged up early this year. Free safety Nate Allen is out with a knee injury, and his replacement, TJ Carrie, who was moved from cornerback, is out with a chest injury.

The Raiders have been porous in pass defense, and tight ends in particular have had one field day after another against their shaky coverage. Amerson, though, has provided some help.

“He's really picked up the system well,” head coach Jack Del Rio said. “He's done a nice job coming in here and showing some of the skill that we thought he would have, and he's added to the group. He's been a good contributor.”

Amerson, a native of Honolulu, impressed pro scouts as a sophomore at North Carolina State when he intercepted 13 passes and won the Jack Tatum Award as the country’s top defensive back. He couldn’t match that performance as a junior, but the NFL liked his size (6-1, 205) and potential.

Washington, which didn’t have a first-round pick in 2013, took him in the second round, the 51st overall pick. He showed promise as a rookie, but in 2014 he gave up 10 touchdown passes.

He struggled again early this season — the Dolphins targeted him on seven straight pass attempts, the last for a touchdown — and Washington let him go. He acknowledges he didn’t make enough plays but adds, “I don’t think that’s the reason I’m out of there. There were a lot of changes upstairs.’’

Specifically, team president Bruce Allen surrendered his general manager duties to former 49ers GM Scot McCloughan. Jay Gruden replaced Mike Shanahan as head coach, and secondary coach Raheem Morris, whom Amerson deeply respected, was let go too. Amerson indicated he thought the changes made him expendable.

He hopes to jump-start his career in Oakland. “The more I get comfortable in the scheme, with the play calls and the checks, the quicker you take the mental part out of it and just go out and play, the better you’re going to be, especially at DB,” he said.

Briefly: Larry Asante probably will start at safety in place of Carrie, Del Rio indicated. … Two defensive linemen, Denico Autry (concussion) and Justin Ellis (ankle) are also sidelined, but the Raiders probably will have Benson Mayowa in action for the first time this season — “a bit of good news,’’ Del Rio said. … With Carrie and Taiwan Jones (foot) out, they’re shorthanded for punt and kickoff returners.